Day 17 - Grosmont to Robin Hoods Bay

Well the last day has finally arrived, we had a great evening yesterday and went on a steam train to Whitby before having dinner at the Station Tavern.

We leave Grosmont for our 16 mile walk to Robin Hoods Bay at 8am so that we have plenty of time to complete the final miles and have some time in 'the bay' to enjoy the moment.

The first mile is up a steep (1 in 3) hill and takes us up into a beautiful moorland called Sleights moor where for the first time you can see the sea! Today, only just as it is a cloudy day but with a keen eye you can just about make out the North Sea.

From here we descend very steeply into a lovely village called Little Beck which is simply stunning.

With just over 10 miles to go to the end we continue onwards from here for 3 more miles towards Greystone Hills and across the heather moor to a point that is 2 miles from Robin Hoods Bay by road but the route takes you onwards to a village called Hawkser some 4 miles from the finish! The reason for this is so that you can enter Robin Hoods Bay from the coastal path.

It is a wonderful feeling when you finally arrive at the coast and see the North Sea before you and take stock of what you have just achieved, well almost achieved as there is 3 miles of pathway to go.

Each time you go round a corner you expect to see Robin Hoods Bay, but each time you are greeted with another outcrop of coast until Ness Point is reached and you get your first view of the red tiled roofs of the village, just one and a half miles to go.

We didn't expect the final descent into Robin Hoods Bay to be so steep but it is an amazing little place, the single street winds its way down to The Bay Pub where the waves are crashing into the single jetty.

As custom dictates Sam threw our pebble, carried all the way from St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay into the North Sea, I went for a beer (a pint of Wainwrights of course!) and Louise sat down and vowed never to walk anywhere again!

The final treat of the day was that some of our friends from the Australian group had waited back to meet up and share the occasion with us before setting off home.

Day 16 - Blakey to Grosmont

The penultimate day of our trek across England and 14 miles of enjoyable walking await us as we set off from the Lion at Blakey after having dinner last night with Sam's Grandparents who had driven up to visit us.

The weather was looking a little bleak as we set off north towards Danby High Moor, it was certainly a lot cooler than previous days, would the rain hold off?

The whole area is scattered with excavations and burial mounds of people who have lived here for thousands of years. The moors are a truly beautiful place and the heather is still in bloom. With the cooler weather we are making very good time as we cross Glaisdale Rigg well before noon. We encounter a very brief shower as we descend into Glaisdale, the first of the trip!

We have a brief stop in Glaisdale for refreshments and to let the 'shower' pass and then make our way towards Beggars Bridge, an early 17 century bridge over the river Esk.

The route then takes us through East Arncliffe Wood and down into Egton Bridge and with just over 12 miles of the days walking completed we turn into Egton Estate and pass the old toll gate where the prices for passing in 1948 are listed, including the cost of 6d for a hearse

As we walk along the road we can hear the sound of steam coming from Grosmont Station and quickly reach the village.

With today's 14 miles finished and some time to kill we jump on one of the steam trains to Whitby and back before dinner at The Station Tavern and an early night in preparation for tomorrows final day of walking and completion of our 192 mile walk from St Bee's to Robin Hoods Bay.

Day 15 - Clay Bank Top to The Lion Inn at Blakey

Well the end is now well and truly in sight, 150 miles down and 40 to go, today we have a nice walk across the moors of around 9 miles, 6 of which are along an old railway track so easy walking.

The sun is once again up nice and early and its a scorching day as we leave Maltkin House just after 9.30am and set off up the hillside to Urra Moor.

The moors are practically featureless and seem to stretch for ever in all directions.

We meet up with the disused railway track and begin the trudge to Blakey and arrive just after 1pm for lunch.

We now have less than 30 miles to Robin Hoods Bay, 2 more days of walking and we will have reached our goal. Can we get there with no rain?

Day 14 - Ingleby Cross to Clay Bank Top

The next part of the walk is probably the finest section outside of Lakeland, a relatively high level traverse with fantastic views.

We get going at 8.30am and Sam is greeted by one of the local Ladies who has heard he is doing the walk, she wanted to shake his hand and give him some biscuits for the day which was very nice of her.

It is another lovely day and our first challenge is to climb through Arncliffe Woods to Beacon Hill.

After the recent days of easy walking this section certainly gets the heart pumping but the reward is some fantastic views as you reach the first peak.

From the top of Coalmire the walk to reach the top of Live Moor is along a pathway through the heather and up to 1033 feet.

The next target is Carlton Moor at 1338 feet where we meet up with a chap about to leap from the top! He hopes to find some thermals and soar like a bird for the rest of the day

By the time we had reached the bottom of the hill at Carlton Bank he had made the leap and was gliding high above us.

The climb up Cringle End was steep and hot, the sun was now at its hottest and we were all glad to reach the top and have a bite to eat at the top and enjoy the views.

This was one of those days when there's always another climb round the corner and off we set for Cold Moor (1317 feet) and The Wainstones before heading down into Great Broughton to say our goodbyes to the Aussies who are staying there.

Tomorrow they have a much longer day than us (20 miles) so will set off very early and finish in Robin Hoods bay on Saturday where we finish on Sunday.

Safe travels to our new friends who we think have been a great help and support to us over the past 12 days since we first met them.

Now to get to our accommodation which is about three miles away! Maltkin House is a great place to stay, the food was fantastic and the owners wonderful people. Tomorrow we have another gentle 9 mile day as we head to the Lion at Blakey.

Day 13 - Danby Wiske to Ingleby Cross

Our night at the White Swan over we set off for a gentle 9 mile walk to Ingleby Cross with the Cleveland Hills looking very much in the distant

We set off with 2 of our new Aussie friends who had stayed near us having arranged to meet the rest of the crew a further 2 miles along the road. On meeting the crew it was clear life couldn't get any better!

1. The sun was out again
2. They were still upset about the test match
3. Where they had stayed had no beer!


Todays walk is a mixture of fields and roads and to be honest pretty dull and uninspiring but we had a good bit of banter along the way and the miles flew by. You can just about see the higher ground of the Cleveland Hills ahead in the picture below

 

 

The 'highlight' of the day was getting across the busy A19 without getting killed!

 

 

Like most days our journey ended at a pub in Ingleby Cross, The Blue Bell, where we had a few drinks before seeking our accommodation for the evening

 

 

 

 

 

We are all looking forward to tomorrow, a proper walk with some hills to climb as we meet up with the Cleveland Way and make our way to Clay Bank Top a distance of around 13 miles.



Day 12 - Richmond to Danby Wiske

This is one of those days when you just have to put your head down and walk! Almost 15 miles of ground to cover today and to be honest not much to see along the way. The route never gets above 300 feet above sea level but it is necessary to cross it to get to the Cleveland Hills, so off we go.

The route once again follows the banks of the flow of the river Swale out of Richmond
 

We have decided to set off at 8.30am to try and avoid the heat of another hot day and to get some miles behind us before it gets uncomfortable.

As it says in the guidebook, this is not interesting walking and we have soon covered 5 miles and get to Catterick bridge within 2 hours, passing under the noisy A1 just before Catterick race course. We meet up with our Aussie friends here and join together for the rest of the days walk.

The next stopping point is Bolton on Swale where we visit St Marys Churchyard to see the grave of one Henry Jenkins, born in the year of 1500 and died in 1670 at the grand old age of 169, at least a distraction from the tedious walking through fields of wheat, barley and more wheat!

After a brief stop and some refreshments (the church provides these and you leave your money in an honesty box which is a great idea) we put our heads down and finish the days walking through many more fields and arrive at our room for the night, the White Swan Inn.

Day eleven - Reeth to Richmond

Once again the sun is out, the sky is blue and we are up and ready to go!

The next 11 miles of the route is mainly along the route of the river Swale.

We leave Reeth and head towards Marrick Priory which was established in the 12th century and occupied by Benedictine nuns until dissolved by Henry VIII and is now in ruins.

The walking is easy and we soon reach Marrick and then continue onto Marske covering the first 5 miles way before lunch.

The walk now goes uphill for a while as we head towards Applegarth Scar, the Swale remains in view in the valley below and we see the first signs of 'mass tourism' in the form of Swale View caravan Site!

With Richmond less than 3 miles away we stop for lunch and then head on through Whitcliffe Wood and start the descent into Richmond

As you emerge from the woods there is a great view of Richmond ahead and we complete the final few miles in short order to arrive in Richmond well before 3pm.

This is the end of day 11 and the weather continues to be absolutely wonderful, tomorrow we head off on a 15 mile walk to Danby Wiske but not before we have time to explore Richmond Castle and enjoy a great meal at the local 'French' restaurant.